A week to cope
by Tsu-Baka
Summary: This is the last week before Naruto turns 17. Everything is going fine until one day his best friend\rival arrives covered in bruises at school. Will him be able to help Sasuke? And how did Ino end up in the hospital? Dirty in latter chapters!
1. Monday

Day one - Monday

**Fandom:** Naruto

**Pairing:** SasuNaru

**Rating:** M (for later chapters)

**Summary: **Naruto is a normal boy, who goes to school everyday and loves his friends. How can a week change his entire life?

**Warning:** Contains Yaoi, but that you already know ;)

**Disclaimer: **No… I do not own Naruto…

A/N: So! I told you I'd be back! Not as early as I would like too, but… awww, school just took a huge part of me and I couldn't write my (screaaaming) plot bunnies here before, so, here it (finally) is!

CHAPTER 1

6:30 a.m. – Monday, 6th October

I woke up startled in my bed when the alarm clock rang, playing my favourite song of the moment. Damn, I really had to stop doing that, or else I would be singing it for the rest of the day. I turned the alarm off and let my head hit the pillow once more. I was so tired I almost fell asleep again. I made a huge effort and got out of bed, feeling dazed.

Today was a normal school morning day, and like many others before that one, the first thing I did in the morning was to take a cold shower, then get dressed and make up my mind on the things I needed to do that day. I did all this and then quickly swallowed my breakfast, since getting late seemed to be on my schedule too.

I left home soon after, noiselessly in an effort not to wake Ero-Sennin up – since my parents died when I was a kid I've been living with the pervert – and closed the fence gate. It felt good to catch the cold October air in my face. Grey and tortuous clouds were filling the morning skies and the sun was nowhere to be seen.

I lived at about 10 kilometres from school. Why? Well, I really don't know. Maybe because I wanted to meet new people or see new places, or even just because the nearest school just sucked. Anyway you looked at it, going to the city centre was just cool.

I caught the bus just in time. After that, the subway was the best part. I reached school right before the bell rang. I ran the entrance steps two by two and entered. Rain start falling down from the skies as I stepped inside school. People said I was crazy, since I woke up so soon in the morning, but it was okay for me. The best part of the whole going-to-school thing was arriving and having your best friends waiting for you. And that meant dear Sakura and all the others, as well as teme Sasuke.

I found her at the entrance with the other girls, Ino and Hinata. They were gossiping and laughing like they had years of gossip to catch up on! I never quite got why they did that, but whatever. I said 'hi' to everyone and met with the guys. I found Kiba and Lee near the stairway.

"Hey, look! Naruto got here in time today! It's the first time this month!" and that was a usual good-morning salutation from the dog boy.

"It's his sparkling youth finally awaking him up in time, my friend! I'm so proud!" I think I preferred Kiba's compliment to Lee's. Really, he was hypnotised by Guy sensei's speeches about happiness, youth, energy streams and a lot more.

"Hi there, dear mates. Any news?", at my question, Lee shook his head and Kiba shrugged.

"Nope, nothing new."

I took a look at my wrist watch. Seven minutes till classes began, that it sure was a hell of a record for me. At least, I wouldn't be the last one to get to school that day.

Shikamaru arrived sometime after me, then Neji, but he just said "hello" and ran up the stairs, while we kept chatting about the last PS games. He didn't like to speak that much and I never understood what was wrong with him. Lee followed him and after some minutes, we all did the same.

Our school was old. It was 'U' shaped, and was under renovation that year. They had started by the school's right wing, and sometimes, classes could get noisy. Our football field, in the middle of the 'U', was filled with improvised giant "boxes" that fitted for classrooms. We sometimes got lost in the maze of fake corridors made from prefabricates that lead to a confusion of classrooms, making us get late sometimes. Two cranes hanged over our heads every day, each one of them with its own heavy load, which we sometimes found ourselves wishing they'd collapse over the school.

First class that morning was Philosophy. Basically, I had a problem with it. How did my mates get to such amazing conclusions on their texts and reflections was a mystery for me. I knew I had a little problem when it came to associating thoughts, and I usually flipped and twisted the idea, trying to form a system to make my own way of reflection, but I never made it. Maybe I just had some gene that inhibited me from reflecting - I've hear something about it somewhere. When our professor gave us texts from other influent people like Martin Luther King or the Pope, I found myself often rewriting what was in the text, with other words 'course, and feeling a bit envious of their great reflections. It was like I needed another person's ideas to make my own.

I sat on my seat, somewhere in the middle of the classroom, as everyone got inside, chatting loudly. We had individual desks. Behind me I had Shikamaru, which was great to chat with and especially on the days we had tests, him just being one of the best student in class and all of that. At my sides there were Ino (on the left) and Kiba (on the right), near the wall.

After everyone got in, someone closed the door on the professor's demand and we remained silent, since it was still early and we were half asleep. The desk in front of me was still empty, which was odd, since the idiot who filled it was always the first one to arrive.

Our Philo professor was, at least, a little strange. She wore old fashioned clothes from the nineties that, amazingly, fitted her fine. She was already showing signs of old age, but she could still reprehend us once in a while. The old woman usually spoke during the entire time class took and it was no different that day.

After dictating a summary of what we would be studying, our professor began to debit that day's subject. At that time in the morning, no one was awake enough to care much about class, and Shika was probably already sleeping on his desk behind me. Dog-breath had his back meeting the wall, in a relaxed position, scribbling something on his notebook. And still the desk in front of me remained empty. What was taking that teme so long? He never got late, so it must have been something unpredictable that happened.

Time flew away, ten minutes, twenty minutes… Only when it was nearing nine o'clock did someone knocked at the door.

"Can you open the door please?", she asked, interrupting her monologue as Neji, who was right in front of Kiba and near the door sat up glumly to open it.

As Neji opened said door, I heard several surprised exclamations, especially from the girls, and I lifted my gaze from my book at the familiar voice.

"May I come in, professor? I'm sorry I'm late".

I made a huge effort to keep my jaw in place as I saw Sasuke at the door, wet and his face covered with bruises and cuts.

"Troublesome", I heard from behind me.

"What the hell…?", I let skip from my mouth, as the teme walked trough the room and sat in front of me, letting his backpack near his seat in the exact same spot as always, perfectly aligned. The old woman bookmarker her manual with her finger and turn to Sasuke, asking him if he'd like to go to the nurse's office, to which he cordially replied it was fine.

"Where the hell are you looking at, dobe?", Yeah, he was "cheerful" that day, and I would most certainly get all of his "cheer", judging by the glare he sent me.

"Oh, nothing, just watching your dynamic entry, teme", he answer me with a cold glare that nobody but the Uchiha could do, and I continued. "So, what the hell took you so long?"

"It's none of your business, idiot", he answered, turning forward and taking out his notebook, giving me no time to reply. The professor had restarted her monologue and he started taking notes, as if nothing had happened.

And then it began again. Now, all I had to do was close my eyes and have my nap, since she would only finish her speech by the end of the class. Somehow, I couldn't do it, as was usual. The way Sasuke had got there made me nervous enough to not be able to take my habitual sleep. Why that was happening, I don't know. It was not like I really cared if he had hurt himself a bit; I mean, we were rivals and sometimes fought and got all those kind of bruises. It was normal, but, maybe because I didn't know what happened, or because it wasn't me leaving him like that I felt…Stop. Was I going to think 'worried'? It felt strange. Why was I worried about stupid teme?

I tried to focus my attention on anything else. I ran my gaze through the manual, looking for nice pictures, but soon got bored. Remembering I still had some homework I hadn't done, I took out the notebook and started doing it under my desk. After the first exercise my thoughts were on Sasuke again.

"Arg", I snorted, maybe a little too loud for Kiba to look at me for some seconds, inquisitively. That was not happening. It wasn't like he had broken a leg - which would have been worse - he was fine! Well, maybe a little dirty and bruised, but if he still answered me so stupidly like usual, he would be okay.

I tried to imagine what could have possibly happened to him. Maybe the bus he was in had an accident due to the heavy rain I could still hear outside. Or he had fallen on his way here. Well, there was only one way to know. I took my phone from my jeans pocket and wrote my message. I pressed 'send' and shoved it back to where it had been before, waiting. Seconds after the bastard took his own phone out from the pocket on his jacket quietly in one swift movement. After reading my 'wht happen to u?', I saw him typing. I never really expected him to answer me. My phone vibrated on my pocket and I quickly saw what he wrote. 'Don't waste your money while I'm right in front of you, dobe', and I can almost swear he did scoff by the time I ended my reading.

"Tch, idiot", I quietly said.

"I heard that"

"Shut up, I meant for you to hear it!"

"Naruto, would you like sharing your conversation with the rest of us?", wha~?, he was talking too! Why was I the one who had to take the blame every time? Of course the teme wouldn't get reprehended, he had 'perfect guy' attached with his damn name. Everyone loved him and he was very popular. Not that he really cared about it actually; he was always running away from everything. He would always get the higher grades, he would always get every girl he wanted around him, but still he'd run away from it. Of course I could say I was a little envious of Sasuke. Well, maybe not just a little… and I guess that was why we fought all the time. Right now, I was pissed off.

I sat silent for the rest of the class, thinking of the best way to punch the idiot's face after we left the classroom. When the bell rang, I got out, intent on waiting for him to give him what he deserved. The professor told the bastard to stay after class so they could talk and I had to leave the dimly-lit hallway. By now, I was witnessing a literal wave of students. It's what happens when you get a hundred and some students in a three meter width hallway. Behind the crowd of students was Miss Theresa, shrieking at us to leave the hallway, as the old lady normally did. I had to do it so that she didn't blow my ears off with.

I found Kiba and Shika by the end of the hallway heading towards the stairs. I caught up with them and we descended together to ground level while talking.

"After what she said, I'm thinking of the ethic consequences of eating M&M's in surgery", Kiba said, sounding very serious.

"Meh, I don't know anyone who does that", Shika lazily answered, shoving his hands on his pockets. Ino appeared from the "wave" and stepped by my side.

"So big brother," that how she treated me. We had been good friends since basic school, she was the one that helped me out in some difficult problems and because she was so very talkative, she always lent me a hand when I needed it. "Did you just see how Sasuke got here today? I wonder what happened to him. You should talk to him"

"Why me?"

"Because you are his best friend, of course! You know he wouldn't tell me a thing."

"Just imagine if one of them happened to drop on the middle of a silicon breast implant surgery, awesome", Kiba said, while his eyes grew open to the lazy guy and ignored Ino.

"Arg Kiba, you're an idiot", Ino said, and with that she got away. I could see Shika's eyes turn down in sadness as the blond was lost again in the torrent.

"You sure are an idiot, you asshole. She is a girl!" I protested, and at a low voice I added to dog-breath: "And now Shika lost his opportunity to be with her"

"It's not my fault he takes so long to declare himself to her, if he keeps it like this, someone else will eventually get Ino first…", he said, as we watched Shikamaru's lost gaze locked on nowhere. We all knew they liked each other. Ino wouldn't tell him because she thought it should be our lazy friend to declare himself to her, and Shikamaru wouldn't open his mouth either because he said it was too troublesome. I guess I could agree with him.

I saw someone by the corner of the eye. I paralyzed when I fully saw what had caught my attention.

"HEY! What the hell are you doing with my shirt, teme?", I think everyone with eyes turned them to me as I shouted, stopping their conversations. Explanation? The idiot was wearing one of the shirts I had stored in my locker, for PE. Why? Because since we had to rent one if we wanted to use it at all, we shared one… more like 'I used it and he rent it'… truth is I had some of my stuff there and the bastard could use it whenever the hell he felt like it.

"I'm wearing it, dobe", yea, no shit Sherlock, he rose an eyebrow, as if my question didn't make any sense. He joined us and I could see he had tried to clean himself; his shirt would probably be too dirty for that cocky bastard to wear it. And now, my black and orange shirt rested on his body. One of my _favourite_ shirts. And it doesn't look that bad on him … How I even got that thought, I didn't know.

I waved my hand near my head like I was shoving away a bad idea and turned to him again, this time with a lower tone. "You could at least ask before you wear something mine!"

"I'm paying for the locker, your things are there, I can use them"

"Like you needed my stuff, why the hell are you using it anyway?"

"Hn", idiot, when the conversation didn't go right for him he would do that! He walked away but I wasn't satisfied with the black-haired's answer so I followed him.

I found myself on the 2nd floor, in a division which we called 'aquarium' since the walls were made of glass. We used to go there to hang out between classes. It was deserted right now, and we sat down. I chose a chair near the desk while the idiot sat near the window on the bench which was on the other side. Sasuke's gaze was lost somewhere outside the window. I'd never seen Sasuke like that; even if he sat in a relaxed way in his seat I could almost see he was tense. Something had happen, and it was disturbing the idiot very much.

"Hey, what happened for you to be wearing my shirt?", as I made my question the strange look disappeared and his face turned cold and stony again. He glared at me with his eyes half-closed and his lips tightened.

"It's not of your concern", he grumbled and turned his face away to the window again. I moved my chair near him, sitting now in front of him. That earned me a death-glare from the Uchiha, but I was kinda used to it, so it didn't affect me. "And stay away"

"Of course it is! It's my shirt after all and you're m…", why couldn't I shut my mouth up? And what was I going to say? Friend? Right… Unfortunately, it didn't get unnoticed by the teme, who suddenly got interested and glared at me again.

"I'm what?", there it was! The bastard arched his eyebrow in interest and I quickly thought of a reply.

"You're a pain in the ass, that's what"

"Hn", our eye contact broke as Sasuke sat up and left the 'aquarium', his eyes cold and stony once more. I knew him since long ago - things like missing the bus or falling down some stairs would just affect his pride, not haunt him like it was doing now.

"Wait, where are you going?", I caught up with him, as he waited outside the hallway, leaning on one of the columns.

"Three minutes until the bell ring, dobe"

"Fine, but I was talking! You still didn't answer me about that…", how my finger got connected to his chest in order to point towards my shirt - which was obviously still on his body - I don't know. We fell silent for a while, Sasuke staying still and... Well I felt myself lighting up like a Christmas tree. He looked first at my finger, and then at me, arching his damn eyebrow at me again. That was becoming a habit today!

I don't know how we got so close either. I could feel his quiet breathing near my face and I could smell his unique scent. My head felt dizzy and my knees trembled like hell when I felt a hand holding my waist, sending a shiver along my spine. Luckily, my voice was still working properly.

"What…", I started, but the bell interrupted me. Before I could notice, we were apart. I was caught by surprise and, before I could say anything else, the bastard was nearing the door, leaving me standing in the middle of the hallway. It took me some time until I could walk like a normal human being. The classroom door was still closed when I got there and our English professor would only come four minutes after, exactly by the time the second ring sounded. We didn't speak before we entered the room, nor did we after doing such. I wasn't expecting the idiot to say something, but I was still confused after what happened in the hall. Why did I blush? I didn't like him at all - how could I, we fought all the time! And why did he have to lean so close? I reached the conclusion I could still punch him in the face for making me blush like that.

* * *

After lunch we had no classes. Since it was October and we didn't have marks yet, we decided to go to Ino's for the afternoon. 'We' meaning me, Sakura, Shikamaru, Kiba and Hinata. The blonde lived nearby, so after a quick walk we stood in front of her apartment.

"We should take the stairs today, the lift is broken", she told us, greeting the doorkeeper. That meant a lot of steps, because she lived in the 8th floor. Me and Kiba quickly ran by the windowless staircase, in a race, to see who could get there first. Hell, we made a lot of noise. I missed a step and if I hadn't put my hand in front of it in time, I could have hit my face on the ground. Kiba caught the opportunity and ran past me.

"Ah-AH, you fell!", he scoff, the second after the lights switched off, the period of time the automatic light timer was programmed to keep them on having just ended which meant we had to stay in the dark until someone pressed the switch again. I hear a 'tatrumph' followed by an 'ouch' right above me and laughed.

"You okay Kiba?", I asked, chuckling. I quickly closed the distance between us and helped him get up.

"Yeah, I hurt my shin a little, but it's okay", he said, holding himself up thanks to me and the handrail.

"Is everybody okay up there?", I heard Ino ask from down under, in a muffled voice. Lights turned on shortly after, and Kiba took a look at his leg while I answered back.

"Yup, Kiba just fell"

"Shut up idiot, you fell too", I received a glare supposed to be intimidating from Kiba, but it was nothing more than an attempt.

"Boys! C'mon, quit being childish", I heard Sakura saying. The girls' footsteps where getting closer, and Kiba pulled up his jeans so he could press his hand where he had hurt himself.

"Meh, this is going to swell", he stated, as the girls appeared near us. Hinata made a surprised face and hid her open mouth behind one of her all too common hand gestures.

"Oh dear. C'mon, we'll get you some ice for that upstairs. Help him big brother", Ino said, passing by us. Since I didn't want to look like an asshole in front of Sakura, I lifted him up and helped him walk. Even so, I still heard her behind me calling us idiots for running up the stairs like a pair of monkeys. We heard a noise, probably from the key turning on the door lock close-by and once inside the blonde's house, I threw Kiba onto the sofa. The girls threw their things towards a corner and headed to the kitchen.

"Oh, my humble servant", he laugh, "I sure am the ladies man", and with that he started making himself comfortable on the sofa, with his arms on the armrest.

"Shut up, how about I kick you so both of your legs hurt, Dog-Breath?" I mocked as well, frightening him with a feint attack. He laughed and took off his backpack too. Ino came shortly after with ice on a plastic bag.

"There, put this and shut up", she said peremptorily and handing him the bag.

That afternoon was great; we saw a horror movie marathon, ate tons of popcorn and talked a lot. When I looked outside, the rain was still falling from the skies, ceaselessly. I wondered why Sasuke had arrived at school the way he did and we even talked about that. The girls were concerned about him, and begged me to find out anything I could. Who could ignore three cute pairs of eyes? I found myself agreeing with the girls, even if reluctantly. Why did I have to do all the dirty work? I didn't even care about the idiot! But when I was at home, lying in my bed, thinking about everything that had happened that day, I wasn't so sure anymore. Running up the school stairs just to ask him what had happened after class sure wasn't ignoring the events. And agreeing with the girls wasn't either. And there was the _other_ thing. Why did I react the way I did when he pointed at my t-shirt? Why did he get that close? Why didn't he punch me away, like I and everybody else expected him to?

And what if I _did_ care? It wasn't a bad thing… was it?


	2. Tuesday

Day two - Tuesday

Wooo hi there! Thanks for reading my last chapter, thanks to all of you who commented my last story too. If there's a reason for me to keep writing, it's you! Thanks to Ero-chan, for all the fantastic ideas and helping me on getting my stories to be in readable English! *Bows* I'm sorry to keep you waiting, school really eats my time O_O

Hnnn, here is the second chapter out of five. I really hope you enjoy it, since it's very different from the last story. I'm not sure if all of you, who read that one, will like this… Give it a read! xD I'll do my best! »»»» Tsu-Baka

This is my site: .

**Warning:** Contains Yaoi, but still soft for now… You'll have to wait a bit, but it will be nice in the end ;)

**Disclaimer: **No… I do not own Naruto… *cries* If I did, hohoho…. Poor Naruto xD

CHAPTER 2

6:30 a.m. – Tuesday, 7th October

"Hey, brat, are you awake?" What was Jiraiya doing in my dream? Wait, he wasn't.

I opened my eyes, and saw a blurry Ero-Sennin at my bedside, as if expecting an answer. I suddenly realized what he did in fact ask something, but he gave me no time to reply.

"I need you to do me _that_ favour", he said, as I got up learning on my elbows, keeping his eyes on me with a serious face. "You understand, right? You want me to make you a reservation at the hotel?"

"No need", I said, yawning and getting out of bed, moving to the wardrobe. "I can do it myself." I opened the door "Maybe I'll just get a damn permanent room when I get there."

Jiraiya nodded at my statement and leaned back on the wall by my side. I picked up some jeans and a black t-shirt with an orange spiral and threw them over my shoulder.

"Just… don't let them come in my room, I hate that." I said and headed to the bathroom to take a shower. I heard Jiraiya saying that it was "okay" behind me and I nodded, more to myself then to him and closed the door behind me.

I hated when he did that. I hated it. I hated having strangers in my house using my stuff. That pervert, couldn't live without "his girls" around anymore…

I let the first cool droplets of water hit my face and closed my eyes, leaning my head back.

I started living with Jiraiya after my parents died when I was only four. I can't remember them very well, but I do recall a Christmas once, though. It had been in a big house with cold white walls and barely furnished. It was cold but even so I was sweating from running all over the place, playing hide-and-seek with another black-haired kid, who seemed to be around my age. Our parents made us wear warm clothes even if we couldn't stand the smouldering warmth they made us feel, afraid we might catch a cold. As a result of that, we ended up lying on the sofa, panting and sweating, but smiling.

I remember seeing a blond man with a warm voice and a bright blue gaze, and a redheaded woman smiling - my parents. It's the sole memory I have of them.

There was another couple there as well, but I can't remember them very well. I didn't know at that time, but when that memory came to my mind some years later, I assumed that the two boys that I remember seeing there where probably their sons. One of them was older than me, and the other one was the one who played with me that Christmas day. They were probably friends of mom and dad, but I don't know who they were - I didn't know then and I still don't know now either. We opened our presents together and then I can't recall anything else.

It was in February, as I was told, when we were driving to a friend of my parents' house that we had the car accident. I don't remember a thing - nothing. My memories kinda started when I got to elementary school. Jiraiya told me I got the scars I have on the face from the accident (three slashes on each sides of my face, just like a fox's whiskers or something) and after that I was as talkative as a door. I wouldn't say anything even if my life depended on it.

When I got to elementary school, at the age of five, things got a little better. Just a little, though. I recovered my voice and tried to make friends. I can't say I made any, because the other kids saw me as a strange boy and thought I was too different from them to be acceptable, so I was always left aside - I was always the last one to be picked when we were supposed to make teams to play some kind of sport or not picked at all. I found myself several times sitting in the principal's office, being lectured for starting fights with those who called me "strange" or a "freak". By the time I was in fourth grade, I was transferred to another class, and it worked a bit better.

It was only in high school that I made some real friends. That was when I met Sakura, that pinkish haired girl; Ino, my "sister"; Kiba, AKA Dog Breath; Lee, our class' crazy mate; Neji, Hinata, Shikamaru… and so many more! They were all so good to me and they were the first ones to accept me! And Sasuke too, I liked him like he was my best friend, and I know, we fought all the time, but even so we were always together and we helped each other when needed (although the teme never admitted he needed me). But now I was 16 and…

"Naruto!" I jumped at Sakura's voice, cutting my thoughts short. Wait, what was she doing in my bathroom? I looked at my surroundings. I was at school! How did I get here that fast? Damn, I daydreamed all the way and didn't even notice! I took a look at myself to see if everything was in place - if I hadn't put the t-shirt on backwards or something. I was fine, fortunately. God damn, I must have looked like a zombie wandering around in the bus and the tube! I looked at my friends' worried faces around me and grinned. "What's wrong? You get here and don't even say hi, you idiot!"

"Sorry 'bout that", I apologised, scratching the back of my head, but still smiling. "I was thinking about some stuff!"

"Whoa, he's capable of thinking?" Kiba laughed.

"Shut up Dog Breath! Want me to beat the shit out of you?"

"Ha Ha, is that a threat? You can try, asshole", and with that, he got in a sort of combat position, smiling defiantly.

"Nihihi, I'll knock you out in seconds just watch!" I imitated him, wiping my nose with my thumb.

"Meh, do these guys always have to fight?" Shikamaru said, hands buried in his pockets. His lazy gaze was camped in the ground between him and Sasuke, who looked at any other direction except where I was. Something told me that he was in troubled with something, avoiding me with his black, deathly glare. "You two are too troublesome"

"Don't you have to get your stuff, dobe?" I momentarily froze on my tracks at the teme's cold and serious voice that sent a shiver down my spine. How did he do that? How could I react to him that way, if he just threw some words at me? He looked down at me and I'm sure that if his eyes could kill, I would be lying as dead as can be on the limestone floor by now. The look on his face showed me he wasn't joking, so I decided I would annoy him a little bit, just for fun. Hey! He made me shiver like… I don't know! He had to pay!

"I'm busy right now, sorry", I said mockingly and turned my attention to the boy in front of me. I was getting my fists ready when someone grabbed my collar and dragged me away from my fight. I could hear Kiba laughing and spiting something like "'been' saved by you prince, little girl?" but I didn't had much time to retaliate as I soon found myself on the hallway that had my locker. Still trying to release myself from the tight grip I shouted "Let me go, you idiot!"

We stopped in front of my locker. A hand opened the zip in my backpack, searching for the keys to it. That hand had a planned route already, so it found them in seconds and they were quickly placed in my hands.

"Get your stuff, class starts in three minutes", Sasuke told me, his grip finally fading. I felt his heavy gaze on me, reading all my moves. A sudden heat filled my face and as soon as I realised I was blushing, things got even worse. There it was again! Just like that day in the hallway, without a single damn reason. Just thinking that he was looking at me made me turn beet red.

I hid myself from his eyes, looking down and praying he didn't see me like that. With my sports bag over my shoulder and the locker closed once again, I turned away and headed to the changing room. He kept his silence the whole way, and I was still trying to calm myself down. By the time we got there I was fine again (like I would let something as idiotic as that hit me). And oh, we found the place crowded.

I almost got deaf from the shouting near our changing room. The small division, one of those prefabricated boxes, was nearly bursting with the overflow of students. Well, the girl's side was visibly more pacific, but ours seemed like there was a war waging in it. We got two small 'boxes', so I decided to go for the emptiest one, because I would need a locker to leave my stuff and most of them were broken, "doorless" or currently filled.

Getting inside the changing room was like entering another world. The space was so tight that it was hard to get past the door. I found a small space at the end of the room and threw my stuff to the floor. I almost jumped when another bag landed next to mine, emitting a much softer noise. It was teme's.

"What the hell are you doing here?" I asked, noticing the stupidity of my question too late.

"I'm getting changed for class, you idiot", _Well duh! See, you stupid Naruto? You should be quiet._ But my voice was uncontrollable and I continued towards my funeral.

"Oh really? Why didn't you choose another place? There are plenty of them 'round", I let out. Why was I saying that? Maybe I didn't love my life, but, actually, I was feeling a bit nervous to have him near me while I was getting changed. Like he never saw me in boxers! We knew each other for years, and never did I have problems of that kind. Deciding to forget about that stupid incident, I said: "Oh, just forget it"

Sasuke arched his eyebrow and taking off his shirt, nearly making me go blind by the pure paleness of his chest. And for the second time that day, I blushed. I turned my back to him and did the same, putting on the other shirt I had inside my sports bag… wait, oh shit. I forgot the teme had it.

Trying to control myself - which was hard as hell - I turned again, to find that Sasuke had already left.

"Shit!"

I had no other option then use the one I had on before.

* * *

"Today we'll be developing your stamina. Run ten laps on the track and when you finish, come here. Let me remind you, find your own running rhythm and don't make a race out of this!" Professor Ibiki told us, waving his hand in a sign for us to start. I headed towards the track, running slowly. Maybe I was not that good at Maths or Physics, but I was the best at PE. Well, the only one who stood a fight chance with me was the teme, but I was better than him anyway.

So when I started leaving the others behind I grinned. Four kilometres was nothing! I looked back to see Shika at the back end of the group - surprised to know he didn't come up with an excuse not to run that day - the girls a little bit ahead and a big group between them and me, with Kiba trying to catch up to me. I couldn't find the teme anywhere and I wanted to ask him about my missing shirt.

"Right here, dobe", a voice said near me. I jumped, not expecting anyone to be there - especially not Sasuke - and definitely not answering my question. Had I spoken out loud?

"W-What the fuck Sasuke, you scared me like hell!" I shouted, almost losing my pace. I saw him smirk from the corner of my eye and I felt like kicking his ass. Remembering I wanted to talk to him I said: "What did you do to my shirt, you idiot? I needed to use it now"

"It's on my backpack", he told, is voice didn't seem any affected by the run he was facing. By now we where catching the tail of the group, passing by Shikamaru. The boy's gaze was lost one a blonde ponytail ahead of him, and even after passing in front of him he didn't disconnect his look. Meh, Shika got weird when Ino was around.

"Why didn't you give it to me?" I asked, waving to the girls we just left behind.

"Because you didn't ask, idiot"

"You jerk!"

"Dobe"

"Teme! You're going to give it back to me when we get back!", I loudly said. Shit, the jerk was making me talk to get me tired. I couldn't let that happed, I couldn't fall behind.

"Why?", I saw his eyebrow arch.

"Because- it's mine! Isn't that- obvious?", I said, stopping between words to breathe.

"It was in my locker. It's mine", he said, not looking at me. How could he not be affected by his run? Damn Uchiha, even when running his voice had to be perfect.

"Hey you...", I stopped talking when I realised I was doing it only to myself. The idiot was running ahead of me and I could almost swear I heard him laugh.

I cough up with him in seconds, passing by the rest of our class. I was surprised when he spoke.

"I'll give you your shirt, if you finish the 10 laps before me", and didn't wait for my answer, starting to run even faster.

I grinned. I was going to have my shirt back! I shout back at him I was in, running right after the idiot. We didn't spoke during our race, all of the time having Sasuke ahead of me and I couldn't stop looking at him while I run. It felt so strange, I mean, it's not very usual look at a boy when he's running, normally you look at a girl. It's a lot more pleasurable to see her breasts bouncing up and down, oh yeah…! …But, I couldn't take my eyes off of him; it felt like some kind of magnet pull or something. I was felling hypnotised by the way his arms moved, the way he put a step after another... his strips of hair swung with the wind and gradually stuck to his face due to the sweat. I made the eight laps in what seemed like minutes. In the ninth things got interesting.

"Still trying to beat me, you dumb ass?", I asked to the raven-haired boy ahead. He smirked in acknowledgement and then the true race begun.

Two thousand meters till the end. I was about five meters from Sasuke when I started sprinting. I didn't felt tired until that time because I was going easy, but when I sped up, I could only keep the pace for a while.

Thing is, Sasuke was as good as I was and when he saw me approaching he hurried too.

Side by side, we ran like hell. We dodged some of our colleagues who shouted and growled at us after we almost ran over them; leaving sweat drops behind, our lungs burning. Sometimes I would get ahead of him, but he managed to get energy out of nowhere and pass me by… just for inches.

Twenty meters. I was falling behind. I wouldn't get my shirt back, worst of all: I wouldn't prove to that cocky Uchiha I could be as good as his perfect ass could. And there was no way I could live with it.

Air came out of my chest in a strange and liberating roar, when at the same time I felt a burst of energy I didn't know I had fill me. I felt myself flying in every step I took, my muscles released and confident. Adrenaline pumped through me as I gained speed. And there was another thing. I left a confused Sasuke five meters behind in seconds.

I finished the 'race' in first place, Sasuke arriving soon after me. I was exhausted! Every inch of my body was pulsing; my lungs weigh like a ton in my chest, hurting each deep breath that I took and my head was dizzy. I looked up at a panting Sasuke, his face red from the effort. He had his hands leaning on his knees and his back was a little bent. I'd never seen Sasuke in such a casual position, I mean; he always looked tensed and rigid like stone! I guess the race really got him eheh.

"Where are you looking at dobe?", was I staring him? Maybe I was, because he quickly returned to the stupid Uchiha mode, with the arrogant look on his face once again and straightened himself. But he couldn't deceive the sweat drops he got on his face, which stuck his strips of hair to his forehead and chin and made he look… made he look… made me feel… warm butterflies in my stomach. I found my self remembering last day, in the hallway… I recalled his hand on my waist, he gaze on me… so close…

"Uzumaki, may I know why did you race your way here?", thanks professor for taking strange thoughts away from my head! Of course I didn't say it out laud… "And you too, Uchiha. Which one of you didn't understood what I said? Who started this?"

An uncomfortable silence dwelt upon us for some time. Well, he came out with the race thing! But I had sign for it too…

"I did", the words came out of me before I even had the chance to think about them. I guess my face looked as shocked as Sasuke's – except his was paler- , because we looked at same to each other interrogatively. Maybe I did it because if he said it had been him, his perfect name would be dirt like… forever, and I knew how he loved his damn pride. Or maybe because people expected me to do all the wrong stuff and saw it as a usual casualty. Whatever possessed to do it would get me in big trouble…

* * *

"Whoa, you say he did nothing?", Kiba asked me for the fifth time. Me and Sasuke had to listen to professor Ibiki scolding us for ten minutes about disobeying orders, while the rest of the class finished the ten laps. I could visibly see them slowdown when they passed us by, since we here just meters away from the course, but after that he just sent us to finish the lesson like the others. So, I could say we got away with it.

"Yup, he just let us live for today", I grinned, hopping he didn't asked me about what caused all the trouble.

"And why did you got in trouble anyways?", oh shit, was he a mind reader or something?

"Oh, nothing special, that cocky Uchiha and his arrogant looks challenged me to a race! I couldn't let he win me, obviously. I wasn't about to let him surpass me!"

Kiba made a mockery face out of me, hanging his hands at his head's level like he was surrendering.

"Fine, fine, don't get all fired up, I just asked"

"Nihihi, sorry"

"What? Sasuke just challenged you for a race? Just like that? That reeeeally isn't like him, brother" Where did Ino come from? She sat by my side at the lunch table, placing her tray next to mine. It was so noisy where we were that she had to get her head closer to us to be able to communicate. "Why were you racing?"

"Aw meh, it's in his nature to show he's better that everyone! Since I'm the best at sports, he tried to beat me but… Ahah, he couldn't!" I paused, feeling a bit embarrassed to continue. Wait, I had nothing to be embarrassed of! Oh, scratch that. "And… the teme would only give me my shirt if I beat him!" Ino's eyes opened hide at my last statement. She was going to comment, but a figure caught her attention.

Shikamaru snaked around the backpacked chairs that were behind Kiba with his dragging-like pace. He sat in front of Ino with his tray. Her face was half turned towards me but her eyes couldn't disconnect from the boy taking his fork and knife out of the paper bag that came with the tray.

"A…and he returned it to you?" Her attention was on me again, taking a bit to redirect her gaze at first.

"Well, yes. He had it on his backpack all the time!"

"You two are too troublesome", Shika said, keeping his gaze at his food, being to lazy to look at us.

"Who? Me and Ino?"

"No, you and Sasuke"

"W-whaat? What do you mean, too troublesome?" I asked, learning on the table with my hands.

"It just is, it's to hard to explain"

I got the feeling Shika had something in mind and I probably wouldn't like it. I didn't ask him again and continued my meal. Morning classes were over, after PE Sasuke gave me my shirt back without a word and I was surprised to find out he had cleaned it and ironed. We had English and maths and now we were having lunch. It was totally safe to talk about the idiot, since he always had lunch at home - the bastard probably didn't want to sit by with the 'lower beings anyways' – and then come again thirty minutes before class' start.

Our lunch break was short that day so we grabbed our stuff and went outside. Today it was a bit sunnier that yesterday, so we just laid there doing our 'photosynthesis' and talking. Shika was at a corner reading one of his books about some weird science stuff, Kiba was looking around, his headphones buried in his ears, Ino was talking to Hinata about some project the two had in mind but didn't want to share it with me. The others were nowhere to be found or at home having lunch.

I left my backpack with them and grabbed the books I wouldn't be needing and my locker's keys. Since I wouldn't need them, I could leave them at school and have a lighter backpack to carry home. I was opening my locker when I felt a silent presence behind me that almost made me jump off my feet.

"Oh, you are here already", I said without much of strength in my statement, throwing my books to the locker, which were quickly swallowed to his darkness. I didn't get why my mood changed so quick. It was not that I had been upset by the race, since I wan it… Actually, I was happy Sasuke had challenged me, I felt almost equal to him! Super happy… And that was what was bothering me… The last days had made me feel different towards the idiot, nearly happy to be with him all the time, and I was afraid of that. So I guess that's why I acted like that that moment.

"Hm" At least the bastard remained the same. I closed the locker and turned on my heels, heading for the exit only to crash into a fleshy wall.

"Meh, why are you in my way?" I said, looking at Sasuke while he leaned on the lockers.

His hands were stuffed into the pockets of his dark jeans and his cold gaze was on me. If I could, I'll get in one of the lockers and shut it close from inside. But I couldn't, the Uchiha had some kind of hypnotic ability that made me froze in my place.

"I was here before you bumped into me, idiot"

"Why you…" I lost my words when I heard people screaming outside. Me and Sasuke traded comprehensive looks and started running in unison towards the place the noise had come from.

When we got closer to where the scream had come from, I could distinguish Hinata's cry and Kiba's shout. I still couldn't understand what they said. Only when I reached the end of the hallway did I see the dog boy running in our direction. My heart jumped when I saw that his hands and his t-shirt were covered in crimson blood.

"I-Ino… I've got to get… fuck, let me pass!" Kiba said, heaving but continuing to run. We hastened our pace in the direction of the courtyard, soon being blinded by the sunlight.

In the area I had been only moments ago was now was a crowd circling around something. I made my way to the centre, pushing and shoving people to the side, only to find Ino on the ground with a piece of metal by her side. Shikamaru was holding her head above the ground on his lap, moving away her blonde blood-stained hair from her face. His hands were trembling in a way I'd never expected to see.

"Hinata, what happened?" I said, holding the crying girl's hands in my own, using a soft tone to try to calm her down.

"I-I-Ino was t-talking to me and s-s-suddenly that t-t-thing felt from there and-and hit her on her head!", She stammered, bursting to tears again.

"Calm down, she will be fine" I told Hinata, letting the girl cry on my shoulder and putting my arms around her to hug her. I looked at Sasuke over her head. He was glaring at me again. Did he really have nothing else to do? I made him a sign with my head to help Shika, and he quickly knelt by his side.

While the two boys looked over Ino, I took Hinata away from the horrible scene. I made her sit and gave her a bottle of water I had with me. She thanked me and dried her tears on her sleeve, starting to calm herself.

"She w-was talking to me when that thing felt from the building place, she collapsed and laid there! It was terrible Naruto! S-Shikamaru said she was breathing and her heart was beating but I-I…" and then she couldn't handle it again and started to cry, hiding her face behind her hands.

"If Shika said she's fine, then she is, don't worry" I comforted her as best as I could. She told me that Kiba had gone to tell someone to call an ambulance. Soon after, the place was crammed with people. Some guys from the construction site were there, apologising for whatever they might have done; teachers and school staff trying to get the curious students away from the place and Shikamaru never leaving Ino alone, taking responsibility for her. The ambulance came short after, carrying Ino on a gurney.

I followed her with the usually lazy guy to the vehicle, but my hand was tightly griped by someone.

"What are you doing? Let me go, she's a friend of mine!" I said, trying to get rid of the raven-haired boy's offending hand.

"Nara Shikamaru can take care of her. If you go you'll just obstruct their way with your big head."

"I will not!"

"Come, you have classes to attend to", he ordered, pulling me into the school again. I saw the ambulance leave when I crossed the entrance. Even if the vehicle was out of my reach, the teme continued to pull me. It wasn't necessary but I said nothing, letting he drag me to class. The area he was griping was burning, not from the grip itself, but… because… because it was Sasuke.

* * *

The last forty five minutes of class flew away in what seemed like seconds. Biology was one of my favourite classes, so it was easy for me to pay attention. At that time we were talking about cellular division meiosis and it was awesome! I guess that lesson would be perfect on any other day, if not for the thoughts running rampant in my mind. First, was Ino. I was a bit shocked from the scenery and I couldn't take the image of the girl bleeding in front of me out of my head. I felt powerless. I didn't know how to help her. I really hoped she would be alright. The nurses told us she was stable but unconscious and then left in a hurry. I told Shikamaru I would call him later at night, to see if he knew anything about Ino. The other tormenting problem was Sasuke, the bastard who sat now in front of me.

The things that happened these past two days were driving me nuts. First, he gets covered with bruises and cuts at class. And he shows up late, which is nothing someone like Sasuke would do. Then that moment in the hallway, that happened once again today. And there was something different in the way he looked at me. It seemed almost… sweet? Sasuke's eyes looked sweet to me? Okay, that must be my brain being fried from the trauma… Anyways, this thing that was happening in my mind revolving around the teme was something that maybe I wouldn't like to know, and absolutely didn't want it to progress further. Or did I? I felt so right near him and at same so wrong, I had found myself thinking about him to many times that day, sometimes wishing to find him on the hallway alone. And yeah, maybe I liked that odd warm sensation in my stomach I had every time I noticed his black obsidian eyes looking at me, or his hand griping my wrist, that hand he laid on my waist…

"What are you waiting for idiot?" Sasuke's voice echoed in my mind. I waked from my 'trance' to find him looking at the classroom door up of his seat, a hand holding his backpack over his right shoulder and the other buried in his jeans pocket. Did the class finished? Oh goody!

I packed my stuff quickly, looking at the two empty desks around me and sighing.

"I hope those two are alright"

"Hn"

I took his grunt as his way of agreeing and walked with him out of school. The sun was lying down quickly and was getting cold. Since dear Jiraiya was having a 'happy night' that day, it was time for me to go look for a hotel or somewhere else to stay the night. We stopped at the entrance. Sasuke dressed his jacket and I took my hoodie off of my backpack. I sent the backpack over my shoulder again after dressing my hoodie and reached the sports sack with the stuff for the night. I froze when my hand closed over nothing.

""Shit!" I hissed to myself. How could I have forgotten such an important thing? I had my sleepwear and my tooth brush there! And the money to get a room in a hotel too! It must have been a work of my air brain again…

"What happened?" The teme asked, arching an eyebrow.

"I forgot my sports sack at home! I had my sleeping wear there!"

"Aren't you going home for the night?" He asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

"No, I can't… wait! It's none of your business!"

"Are you going to sleep in someone else's house?" He inquired, walking up to me. His glare was cold as ice and his eyebrow was still arched. Meh, didn't that tire him?

"N-N-No! It's not l-like that!" I lifted my hands up waving negatively with them, stumbling back. For each step I took away from him, he took two towards me. I ended up meeting one of the walls of our school with my back, Sasuke right in front of me.

"What are you hiding from me?"

"N-nothing!" I mumbled, trying to go through the wall behind me. Sasuke placed his arms around me, leaning even closer. We were so near that I could feel his essence, which made my mind drift. "I just have to stay the night out because… because Jiraiya is painting the house! And I can't stand the smell!"

"It amazes me how you stand your own smell but not the paint."

"I don't smell bad you jerk!"

"Dobe."

"Teme! Then why are you so close?"

"So you admit you stink."

"Don't change the topic!"

"Hn." And with that, he leaned even closer than I thought was possible. His chest was touching mine, sending me a shiver from the top of my hair to my feet. That warm feeling in my stomach came back again. My hands that were once touching the wall behind me now rested trembling across his back. He leaned his forehead towards mine, our lips almost touching.

In that exact moment, I froze. I had never experienced anything like it before. My head weighted a ton and I was feeling dizzy. Just like time had been turned to slow motion, I could feel his warm breath gently touching my lips, his heart beat echoing against me and his forehead resting on mine. It was hard for me to breath because I had been completely exhausted from the run, and each breathe I took made me feel a pressure on my chest.

To be honest, I didn't want that moment to end. It felt so right; it felt like I belonged somewhere.

But it was over. Sasuke stepped back, leaving my arms hanging in the air. He turned his back to me and gave a couple of steps before he stopped.

"You can stay at my house for the night, if you want." My eyes were open wide at his statement. "As long as you tell me what really happened."

"I-I..." Was all I could say after the moment we had shared. So he didn't believe what I had said? It had been a good excuse!

"Follow me."

He didn't have to say another word. I followed him without any. Why was I doing what he wanted anyways? I could find somewhere else for a small change or something else. But after what happened, I didn't want to think. I trusted my destiny in the other boy's hands and followed him.

* * *

The heavy sound the door made when Sasuke opened it assured me his house was old. The front of the building was also a good hint, making it known that the house was probably one of the most ancient in our town: its architecture was from the XVIII century, with wide windows and elaborate facades. An elegant lair! No wonder the teme was so cocky! Sasuke turned the lights on. The interior fitted the outside: his house had expensive furniture, nice tapestries and everything seemed to match harmoniously. The hall I found myself in was huge! The ceiling was at least four meters high, and so were the curtained windows. It had one big arch that showed a dimly lit baroque styled living room. Other doors in the hall were closed but I wasn't particularly interested in knowing what they had behind them.

"Hey, where is everybody?" I asked, still looking at the painted clouds on the vault ceiling.

"It's not of your business"

"What? You killed and buried them on a secret place? I mocked.

"Idiot"

"Jerk!" he took out is jacket and walked to one of the closed doors. I followed him again with my eyes at the tiny detail of the cherubs on the ceiling's corners, not wanting to get lost in the big house.

* * *

A tense boy was sitting in the waiting room when a white medical gowned man came in, a folder on his hand. The boy quickly stood up when he noticed the other presence in the room besides his.

"You are Nara Shikamaru, right?" The doctor asked.

"Yes, I am. How is she?"

"She's stable, she had a minor cut on her head, but it's nothing serious. We took care of it." The doctor made a silent pause, which told the boy something else had happened, and it wasn't something pleasant. "Although she didn't suffer any serious fracture or other trauma, she is in a coma. We expect her to wake up in a couple of days. We ran a CAT scan on her and, aside from that, she is fine."

"It's good to hear that" the boy's features relaxed a bit at the man's statement. "When can I see her?"

"In a couple minutes from now - we are transferring her to another room. Did you call her parents?"

"Yes, they are on their way here."

"Alright. I'll call you when she's ready." The doctor said, leaving the room, his medical gown billowing behind him.

"Thanks…" he murmured to himself, letting his knees bent and falling on the sofa sighing. He bent his back to learn his elbows on his knees and crossed his fingers in front of his face, the look on his eyes lost. Even if he was the laziest boy off all school, he hadn't been able to sleep the entire afternoon.

* * *

"What did he said? What did he said!" I begged him to answer me, pulling on the shirt he would be sleeping with. We had had dinner and took a bath. Sasuke had lent me some of his sleepwear and I blushed at the thought of wearing something that was his. I had to tell him why I had nothing to wear, so that I didn't have to sleep with the clothes I'd been wearing all day. Right now, we were sitting on a sofa in his room doing homework with some music playing calmly on the background. I don't know how, but the bastard had managed to get me calm enough to do most of my homework without losing concentration. After we were done, I took my phone out to call Shika just as I told him I would, but Sasuke snatched it from my hand and said he would be doing the talking himself, claiming I would only manage to get Shikamaru even more desperate. I snorted at his argument and sit with my legs crossed on the sofa.

"She's in a coma, but she should wake up in a couple of days." He said, making my attempt to get the phone back futile, as he was holding it above his head. He threw it to his bed and picked up his books.

"It's 23 p.m., I'm going to bed" he stood up and poured his books on his backpack, walking to his bed. "Turn off the lights when you leave"

"HEY! Were am I supposed to sleep?"

"In the living room of course, aren't there enough sofas for you? Don't droll on them, if you please" he said, covering his face with the blankets.

"W-what? Is that the way you treat your guests?" I snorted, fisting my hands.

"The idiot ones"

"Why you! Don't you have a guest room in this freaking palace of yours?"

"It's locked"

"Then open it dattebaiyo!"

"Hn" I could swear I heard him smirk under the blankets at my order.

"Well, I'm not going to sleep on the couch!" I shouted, moving to sleep next to him. I threw away the blankets and lay down, turning my back to the idiot.

"Did I say something about having you sleeping with me?"

"Shut up" I ordered. The room felt silent for a couple of seconds before the teme spoke.

"You forgot to turn the lights off"

"Clap your hands. Doesn't this haunted mansion have some type of artificial intelligence?"

"The only thing here needing it is you, turn the lights off"

"Fine fine… I give up, I'm too tired" I said, finishing my sentence with a huge yawn.

Lights were off now, I was back in bed. Lucky the bastard had a big bed: I could stay away from him enough to feel normal.

Weeks ago the idea of sharing a bed with Sasuke could only be descript as insanity from my part, but now, I was feeling like I belonged to some place, I felt happy to be with him, and actually, if I could chose, I would never get back to my own home again. Not that I hated Jiraiya, no way! He was nice: he taught me what my parents didn't, in a sort of way; he might not be always there when I needed, but he eventually would come out and help me. Yeah, I couldn't complain. But being with the teme was so… right?

And I had questions for him about the strange emptiness of his house and still had to tell him correctly what happened to me, but I was too tired to do it now. So when I felt a warm embrace I knew I could relax and sleep. Everything would be fine the next day…

TADAHHHHH! I FINISHED! I FINALLY FINISHED! (sorry for the capitals, but this really took me a LOT of time!) Did you liked it? Did you like the last one too? I really got no reviews for this story and I don't know what you think! Let me know! Pretty pleeeease? What happened to Sasuke? Will Ino really be alright? Wait for the next chapter, the chapter of revelations! No joking! Bye for now! I hope you have spent a nice time with my fic! HUGSS!


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